Live Music Review: Soul Rebels @ The Wardrobe, Leeds

Soul Rebels is a night of live music at The Wardrobe Leeds.

  Pé serves up a refreshing dose of Hip Hop and Soul. This band is very confident on stage and they deliver impressive, tight arrangements with flair. It’s evident from the size of the audience that has turned up early to see them, even considering the short time they’ve been playing together, that they will be causing a stir on the Leeds music scene in the coming months. The set finishes with an encore, which is rare for a first act at this event and someone shouts ‘Oh my God, that was only the first support band!’.

  The main support act, Homecut, unfortunately doesn’t live up to the same standard. His set is well conceptualized, bringing rap and beat boxing together with funk and soul samples but it doesn’t really deliver. Homecut’s freestyle rapping is quite impressive and his banter with the audience is entertaining enough. Vanilla beat boxing and out of tune singing mean that he could be replaced by a DJ without losing much from the act.

  Abstract Hip Hop Orchestra is a 16 piece big band comprised of session musicians from around the UK and they go on stage all guns blazing with a hard-edged, aggressive sound. Abrasive hip hop grooves are interspersed with flourishes of funk tinged improvisation from the various horn players. It would be easy to overdo the jazz element, but the playing is very tasteful and super-tight when the entire ensemble plays together. The band seems to have somewhat a cult following and it’s easy to see why. There’s something here for everyone. The guest vocalists range from buttery soul to full tilt belting and rapping. Anna Uhuru’s songs are a highlight. Her voice is so expressive and it glides smoothly over the band. There’s a healthy dose of interaction with the audience who mostly seem to know what’s coming up before it happens anyway. The sound of 13 horn players is so heavy that it’s guttural in some moments. The mix isn’t the most flattering on the Wardrobe’s pokey stage and occasionally, bits of the ensemble get lost. Even so, the feeling of raw power at this volume is really breathtaking.